Youth practice meeting, greeting and decision making through golf

SIKESTON -- The First Tee of St. Louis, a Southeast Missouri affiliate, hosted a family day at Bootheel Golf Club Sunday afternoon.

Twenty-six members, families, coaches and staff of The First Tee of St. Louis spent the day at Bootheel Golf Club practicing life skills while enjoying 18 holes of golf. Both the Southeast Missouri affiliate and the Triple A affiliate had the opportunity to learn together as part of the curriculum. Michele Miller, executive director of The First Tee of St. Louis, said "It was a wonderful opportunity for the kids from each affiliate to practice their life skills such as meeting and greeting and decision making."

"Patience, sportsmanship and perseverance, some of The First Tee Nine core values, are all part of the game that the kids got to learn first-hand while completing the 18-hole course, some for the first time," according to Gregg Choate, program director for The First Tee of St. Louis.

To reward kids for their hard work, the Southeast Missouri affiliate was happy the members were able to use not only the golf skills they have been working on, but, more importantly, the life skills they have been taught throughout the course.

After a long day on the course, The DeWitt Company hosted the youth at Lambert's Cafe for dinner.

The First Tee of St. Louis offers learning through the game of golf at nine locations from Sikeston to East St. Louis including Southeast Missouri affiliates Bootheel Golf Club in Sikeston and Cape Jaycee Municipal Golf Course and Arena Golf in Cape Girardeau.

The First Tee of St. Louis serves 500 youth throughout the year providing life skills education coupled with golf instruction.

For more information on the program, please call Gregg Choate (573)

334-2533.

ST. LOUIS -- The First Tee (www.thefirsttee.org) is an initiative of the World Golf Foundation, a non-profit organization based in St. Augustine, FL at World Golf Village, home of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Its mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf.

Since its inception in 1997, The First Tee has opened over 250 golf-learning facilities in 45 states and five international locations, and has introduced the game of golf and its values to over 675,000 participants.

The First Tee National School Program (www.thefirstteensp.org) has reached more than 300,000 students in over 900 elementary schools across the country.